Morning Star
by GratefulBecky
Summary: The Cullens return to Forks 100 years in the future where their whole world is turned upside down by an invisible attacker which threatens to destroy everything this peaceful family stands for.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**100 Years in a Nutshell **

The excitement was bellowing up inside of me. It has been a little over 60 years since I've been back to Forks and 100 years since my last public appearance there. After my mortal transformation, Edward and I took a few years to celebrate our immortality as a married couple and to raise our daughter Renesmee. She grew quickly and only a few short years later it was Edwards turn to walk his daughter down the aisle and give her away to Jacob. It was the saddest and most pathetic day of my life. It turns out I'm more like my mother than I expected. Seeing Renesmee get married off so young, made me feel sick to my stomach. We all knew she was already immortal, just like Jake, so I wondered what the rush was. She told me she wanted her mortal family to attend the wedding. Edward sided with her and I was left fighting a losing battle. The wedding went off without a hitch, thanks to Alice's superb planning abilities, and my daughter is now a married woman.

Our stay in Forks was getting awkward because of our un-aging bodies. Edward, Renesmee, Jacob and I hung around in the shadows of town during our daughter's upbringing and the rest of the Cullen clan moved on. I wanted to stay with Charlie as long as possible and Edward was agreeable to this concept as long as we stayed out of the public eye. We crept into the shadows of society and were rarely seen. This worked out just fine for us because being around humans was difficult for Renesmee and myself. We were young vampires and the thirst for blood was a strong desire to deny ourselves.

Renesmee and Jacob hung around Forks for a few more years but decided they wanted to see the world on their own. It was then my attention focused back on getting an education and Edward and I attended Dartmouth. College was an interesting experience. It may have been more interesting for me because this was my first immersion into the human world since I'd taken the role as a vampire. I found this time confusing. Not because of the school work, which by the way was a piece of cake given I now had the capabilities to remember everything I heard and read the first time through, but because of the social aspect. I have never been a social butterfly and was perfectly content with this life choice. But now, people were scared of me. Sure many were dazzled by my feminine mystique and my husband's handsomeness; but in the end, they all turned their backs and scurried away. All the better I convinced myself. I was a young and hungry monster. Space would be a good thing.

Edward and I returned to Forks secretly and frequently to visit Charlie and his new wife Sue Clearwater. Seth had decided that life as a werewolf was not the life he wanted and stopped making the animal transformation. Overtime, the werewolf gene quieted itself down and Seth was now human and mortal again. It was nice that Charlie and Sue would have a `normal' child to watch reach the appropriate milestones of a growing human.

Charlie was the first to pass away. It was an un-climatic death. He just fell asleep one night and never woke up. He was a good guy through and through. He never complained much about the oddities that surrounded him and the loss of my dad will leave a vacant spot in my soul for the rest of eternity. Sue followed Charlie two years later. She was taking flowers to Charlie's grave and was attacked by an animal in the woods. Deforestation in and around the Olympic National Reserve has left hungry mountain lions and bears wandering into towns. Attacks on humans has become more and more common. Edward and I were climbing Mt. Everest when this unfortunate event happened and only found out about the attack weeks after. I take a moment to remember Sue every time I bite into a mountain lion and hope that I am doing my part to prevent another vicious animal attack on an unsuspecting human.

Years passed and the Cullen family reunited on and off again. I have graduated from high school at least a dozen or so times and have a couple of Masters and PhDs in various subjects. Our names have been changed throughout the decades as to disguise our familiarity in the history books and now after a generation of familiar people passing on, we can once again return to Forks and play the role of the strange family with all the strange kids that don't quite fit in.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Reunited and it Feels So Good?**

_It's been hard all these years sitting back and watching friend, family members and generations of people pass on. This is the unfortunate consequence of `living' as an immortal. This is why we have had to stay away for so long. I just hope the old saying "You can never go back home again," is a myth._

The Cullens are going to live as a whole family unit again. Carlisle and Esme arrived a few months ago to fix up and remodel the house. Carlisle rented the house out while our family was away and the previous tenants did not treat the house in a loving fashion. Walls had been beaten up, windows were smashed and the hardwood floors were scuffed up badly. Esme loves fixing up houses and gleefully took on this challenge.

The house Esme reconstructed for us when we were first married was ruined in a fire 50 years ago. The need to rebuild never captured my interest. I enjoy living under the same roof as the rest of the Cullens. They're my family and I love all the time I get to spend with them.

Pulling up to the old house in Forks brought on a slurry of memories. Some were crystal clear, those particularly which happened after my mortal transformation, others were slightly foggy but none the less, important memories I try hard to cling on to.

"We're here," Edward said with a smile creeping onto his face.

He drove the U Haul truck up to the door and silenced the roaring engine. "It feels like only yesterday when I brought you here for the first time to meet my family."

I smile back at his angelic face, " I was so worried they wouldn't like me; how naïve I was."

Edward leaned over and kissed me on my forehead. "It wouldn't have mattered what they thought; I wasn't going to let you go no matter what."

When he said things like this I was grateful I no longer had the capability to blush. It always gave away how much he was dazzling me.

"I wonder if any of the others have arrived yet?" I asked changing the subject.

As if hearing the question Alice instantly appeared at my door and opened it for me. I jumped out of the vehicle and into her pale arms. "How did you get here so fast? You left two days after we did."

"Edward may be the fastest runner, but he isn't the fastest driver." Alice chuckled with her sing-songy voice.

"Hey now," Edward chimed in. "At least I've never been involved in a high speed car chase in downtown sunny Los Angeles where it was broadcasted all over the network media."

"It only happened just that one time. Besides, I didn't get caught."

"Barely," came Jasper's voice from behind Alice, "If I hadn't been there to calm everyone down, they would have chased you all the way up the coast and then where would our family secrets be?"

We all erupted into laughter at the distant memory. It happened two years before the great earthquake occurred that ruined most of California's coast line. Alice foresaw this event occurring and tried to warn the locale seismologists. They laughed in her face and Alice drove off angry and furious which is when the cops caught her driving a little too fast on L.A.s congested roads. The technology the cops have for catching speeders has greatly increased over the years and getting out of a high speed chase isn't the easiest thing to do anymore.

We all walk inside familiar house and the memories just come flooding back to me. The large glass windows, the clean white open space, it is all so warming. Even after all the homes I've lived in over the years. Nowhere else feels more like home than this place.

"Hello," Esme says with a wide smile on her maternal face "Welcome home."

"It is so good to be home," I smile back. "I love what you have done to the place."

"I really haven't done anything," Esme replies. "Carlisle and I just added a fresh coat of paint and patched the holes. We also added another bedroom for Renesmee and Jacob."

"I think that's what I love about what you have done," I say looking into Esme's mothering eyes, "I love the look and feel of this house and I wouldn't want anything too different to interfere with it."

"Where's Carlisle?" Edward asks while swiftly walking over to give Esme a hug.

"He's upstairs in his office installing the newest computer. Technology sure has changed since the last time we lived here. It won't be long before people are being instantly transferred to any destination with just the push of a button."

I cringe at the idea. One of the things I like about being a vampire is the speed at which we travel. With huge advances in modern technology humans are catching up. There are portable motorized scooter s that can be carried on your back. In a quick flash people can pull these out and have instant speed. I'm not sure people really walk anymore.

Even Carlisle is finding it harder and harder to get a job as a doctor. Great advances in medicine have made diagnosing and curing people easier and easier. People go online, take a quick questionnaire about their symptoms, then are diagnosed. Medicine is delivered right to their home via an underground vacuum tube.

Times are financially hard in a small town these days too. Carlisle finally found employment in Port Angeles as a veterinarian. The family had a good laugh over that. We all just hope he doesn't get too hungry while he's working. Resisting humans is morally one thing, but nibbling on an over spoiled dog is something entirely different.

"Well, we better get the truck unloaded before it rains," Edward suggest.

We mosey out to the back of the truck and begin the process of unloading. It only takes a few trips to unload the 14 foot truck and no tools like hand carts are needed. Edward grabs my solid oak desk with one hand and with the other he takes in a box of clothing. He finagles the awkward piece of furniture through the house and places it in our bedroom. Even after all these years, I'm still amazed by our specie's strength and agility.

As soon as the truck is unloaded Renesmee and Jacob pull into the driveway.

"Mom," shouts Renesmee as she bolts out of car and into my arms. The smell of wet dog rolls off her clothes. "I've missed you so much."

"Me too. How was your time in Russia?"

Honk Honk. Before she could answer Emmett and Rosalie pulled into the driveway. Emmett was behind the wheel; he had a wide grin plastered all over his face.

"You parked in my spot." He playfully shouted at Jacob. "Carnivores first, omnivores second."

"Whatever happened to first come, first serve?" Jacob playfully scolds back.

"In that case," Rosalie announces, "our family was here first."

"Now, now children," Carlisle gestures from the doorway with a warm smirk on his face, "there is no need to fight over who was first. We have all of eternity to unpack everyone. There is no need to rush."

It only takes moments to move everyone in and then we all gather around the dining room table to chat and catch up with each other.

Suddenly panic streaks over Alice's face. She pulls her arms around her chest and begins to tremble.

"No!" she shouts. She looks over at Jasper and if she had the capability to cry, I'm sure tears would be streaming down her face.

Edward's eyes grow large as he picks the thoughts out of Alice's head. With a quick movement both Edward and Alice's horrified eyes shift towards me.

"This can't be happening," Edward cries as he stands up out of his seat. "We need to leave town now!" He grabs me into his arms and buries his face in my hair.

Confusion drips over me as Edward clings to me in his trembling embrace. It felt as if he was afraid he might lose me.

"Um, can somebody fill us in on what's going on?" Emmett interjects.

"Jasper was…then… he," Alice tries to explain but her words just turn into unclear mumbles as soon as the sound escapes her lips.

"Alice sees Jasper and Bella disappearing." Edward informs us after witnessing Alice's struggle with words. "There is no explanation; they're just gone. Something is picking us off."

A twinge of fear streaks through my stone body. "Picking us off?"

"OH," Alice screams and flings her arms over to shield her face from an invisible attacker. Then she collapses onto the floor and goes limp. Jasper runs and kneels by her lifeless corpse.

"What's going on Edward?" Carlisle sharply questions.

"I don't know. She just saw teeth, large teeth coming at her. Then her mind went blank and she… We have to leave now!"

"Alice, Alice," Jasper frantically calls her name. He places his hands on her limp shoulders and began shaking them. "Alice," he chants again as hope begins to leave his face. His stone shape softens around the edges and uncontrollable tremors rip through his exterior. He's trembling so hard his knees give out and he sinks down to lie next to Alice's fallen body. He extends one arm over her still chest and continuous to whispers her name in her ear. "Alice… please wake up."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Glimpses**

"Edward, what exactly did you see?" Carlisle asks with a controlled look of calmness covering his panic stricken face.

"I don't know. It all flashed so quick. Jasper was driving to Port Angeles, when his car swerved off the road. His door was ripped open and then, he just vanished." "Bella," A look of loss consumed his topaz colored eyes, his head lowered to his chest, "Bella you were standing outside of the Black's old house. At first you were smiling, then horror struck your face. Then you were gone. With Alice, I just saw large teeth, nothing more."

"That doesn't make any sense," Emmett snarled. "If both Jasper and Bella disappeared, then why aren't they camped out on the floor next to Alice?"

We were all silent for an immeasurable moment of time to stunned to move. Edward stood there still holding me in his arms while he tried to pull himself together. His trembling began to quiet down as my confusion began to get annoyingly frustrating. I looked over at Jasper's grief ridden body draped over his lifeless wife. It was too much to take in—I closed my eyes. Alice, my best friend, was lying on the floor without any explanation. Vampires don't just die—the thought left a lump in my throat. Could Alice really be dying? Worse yet, could she already be—dead… I shake these thoughts out of my head. What could cause this to happen? Anger built up inside of me. Who or what could do this?

Edward, feeling my tension, let go of me. "What are you thinking Bella?"

"I don't know, I just…" thoughts were coming too quickly to fully comprehend, "Could the Volturi be behind this?" "What could kill a vampire like this?"

Jasper quickly stood up in a motion too fast for humans to see. His body stood there rigid and fierce with his wide eyes starring directly at me. His lips pulled back barring his teeth and a low growl escaped from his throat. "She is not dead," he commanded. " We will find whatever caused this to happen to her and destroy it." His glare did not break away from me.

"I…I'm sorry Jasper," I mumbled as the full feeling of depression swept over me, " I didn't mean it like that. Of course we will do all we can to get her back."

His glare softened a little around the edges. Esme and Rosalie stepped in and put their arms around him. Jasper leaned into them for support. His knees were shaking so hard I could feel the ground rattling under me.

While Jasper was cradled in Esme and Rosalie's embrace, Carlisle, Emmett, and Edward made their way over to Alice's still body and knelt beside her.I just stood still, frozen by my thoughts. They were coming so fast and overwhelming my ability to function properly. It felt like I was standing in the mouth of a river emptying into an ocean where fresh and salt water mix. On the surface the water appears calm, but within its stillness, a dramatic and life altering change is happening. Alice has been a stable part of our family. Would the Cullens be able to survive without her?

"Is she still alive Carlisle?" Emmett asked.

Carlisle ran his hands over Alice's body trying to assess her situation. He appeared to be powerless because the doctoring techniques he has, don't apply to vampires. A vampire doesn't need to breathe, so there is no point in checking to see if her airway is clear. Vampires also don't have a heartbeat, so checking for a pulse would be a wasted effort. Edward tried in vain to hear any thoughts she might be having but came up empty handed.

"Let's move her upstairs," Carlisle suggested. "We'll put her in her room and monitor her situation."

Carlisle stood up from the floor while Edward and Emmett lifted her body. A look of guilt washed over his pale face. He was taking on the burden of not being able to fix Alice and it was draining his normally confident demeanor right out of him.

Jasper followed behind Edward and Emmett. He retired himself to her bedside and was determined to not leave until she _woke_ up.

***

The family reconvened at the dining room table. I can feel the tension emulating off of everyone's body making the air in the room tight and uncomfortable.

"We have to get out of this town." Edward said with authority.

I leaned over to him and put my hand on his. "If we run now, we'll be running forever. We need to figure out what could make us disappear."

"Bella," Edward whispered and looked deeply into my eyes, "I can't risk losing you. For your protection, for all of our protection, we need to leave."

"Let's be reasonable dad," Renesmee chimed in. "Mom is right, we can't run forever, we need to figure out what Alice's last images meant. What could come out of nowhere and make a vampire disappear?"

"Edward," Rosalie called, "you said you saw Jasper getting ripped out of the car while driving to Port Angeles?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"What if we can change that future? We won't let Jasper make any trips down to the city, then he won't be attacked," Rosalie commented.

"She moved!" Jasper shouted from upstairs. "Come up here quick."

Edward froze, then shook his head.

"Did you just see something?" I asked

"I think…maybe. Did someone here," his eyes went to Jacob, "think about an animal attacking my sister?"

"Hey don't look at me man. I would never do such a thing," Jacob said defensively.

Edward scanned the rest of the faces in the room to see if anyone would confess to the thought, but the room was quiet. Edward's face appeared perplexed.

"You don't think Alice…" Edward paused mid sentence as if to check his thoughts over to make sure they made sense. "Could Alice have thought that?"

Without a moment's hesitation after hearing Edward's idea, we all raced upstairs to see what Jasper was shouting about. We entered the room to find Jasper standing next to Alice's body with a small glimmer of hope returning to his distraught face.

"Her eyes opened and she started kicking her feet," Jasper explained. "Then she blacked out again."

Carlisle moved towards Alice's side and checked her over again trying to diagnose her condition anyway he could. It was useless; Alice looked as lifeless as she had earlier.

"Did you do anything to her that would have made her respond to you like that Jasper?" Carlisle asked.

"No, nothing. I was just sitting by her side."

"Did you think about an animal attacking her?" Edward asked.

"No," Jasper replied with a puzzled look on his face.

"It must have been Alice's thought then," Edward said. "Something made her come too again for a brief moment. She must have seen another glimpse of the future. It was another animal attack."

"Why would she see the animal attack her again?" Emmett asked.

Once again I was struck with a flood of thoughts. My mind began to unfold layers of confusion.

"That's the answer." I rattled out as soon as the thought hit my brain. "Alice is seeing herself get attacked in the future. Something has killed her off and she can't exist without her future." I stopped to think about my rambling; did this make any sense? Can one exist without a future? "More thoughts kept finding their way to my mouth, "We changed the future downstairs. We decided that Jasper shouldn't travel to Port Angeles to avoid an attack. Right in the middle of that discussion is when Jasper told us Alice woke up."

"If that's true," Carlisle said, "then why is she still not conscious?"

"Something still attacked her," I frantically replied, "Edward saw it."

"Edward," I said to get his attention. "You said you saw me outside of Billy's house. What if I avoid going there until after we have stopped whatever is attacking us."

Alice moved again. Her eyes shot open and she bolted out of bed. Her arms and legs were fighting off some invisible assailant. She crashed through the window of her bedroom and plummeted to the hard ground outside. Her body went rigid and returned back to its lifeless form.

"Did she get attacked again?" I asked Edward.

"Yes." That was all he said. He was quiet and appeared lost in thought.

Jasper jumped out the window to retrieve his wife. He climbed back up the wall and through the window and returned her body back to the bed.

We all stood and stared at each other dazed. Edward seemed to be taking it the hardest. His unique gift for reading minds has had an unfortunate side effect today. He has been forced to witness his sister get mauled to death 3 times.

After a moment of intense thought, Jacob's face tightened and a flash of light lit up in his eyes. "Of course," he said with a toothy smile spreading across his boyish face. "Don't you all remember? Alice can't see werewolves in her visions. Maybe some of the tribe members are still transforming down on the reservation."

"What?" Rosalie shouted with an exasperated look consuming her picturesque face. "We haven't done anything to bother those stinkin' dogs. Why would they attack us?"

"Whoa," Jacob shrugged while taking a step back from Rosalie, "I'm not saying that's what's happening. It's just a theory. I can go down and chat with the elders tomorrow to see if any of the boys are behaving a little peculiar."

"Do you think the elders will speak openly with you about what is happening in the reservation?" Carlisle asked. "No one will even know who you are. "

"Our lineage runs deep. They will have no choice but to trust me. I'll check things out after school tomorrow."

"Oh that's right." I gasped. "School starts tomorrow." I gagged at the idea. It is one of the most horrible parts about being a young looking immortal. As many times as I've graduated from high school, I have never warmed up to the idea of being a student.

"We can't go to school with Alice in this condition," Edward said. "It's not a good idea to be out and about with something mysteriously attacking us."

"We can't stay locked up in this house." I object to Edward's overly protective suggestion. "We should continue on as if everything is normal. If we don't the people in town will get suspicious and then we will be forced to flee."

"Then it's settled," Carlisle decides. "We begin life as normal _humans_ starting tomorrow."

"Don't worry Jasper; I'm sure Carlisle will write you a doctor's note to get you out of class." Emmett jokes in an attempt to lighten the dark mood.


End file.
